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Tuesday, 6 November 2007

What is Valdemar reading?

Kipling - The Mark of the Beast and Other Supernatural Tales (Fantasy Masterworks).What to say about the wily Kipper? He was fascinated by the cruel, dark and downright barmy aspects of life. Not all of these stories are genuinely supernatural, but who cares? One Eye Grey - 2 issues of this new Penny Dreadful turned up unbidden. They are rather good. Admittedly they cost several hundred pennies, but the prose is far from dreadful. Worth watching out for - tales of spooky London, all based on folklore and urban legends.Falling Apart by Elaine Morgan. Subtitled The Rise and Decline of Urban Civilization, this is the Aquatic Ape author's take on modern life and its myriad semi-malcontents.Evolution in Action by Julian Huxley. Yes, Aldous' brother with a series of lectures adapted into essays. Controversial stuff from the man who coined the term 'transhumanism'.

Since I'm on about the fascinating subject of me, what is Valdemar listening to? On my Sony MPthingy I have Laura Cantrell, the Mediaeval Baebes, Ella & Louis from the Verve era, the soundtracks from Firefly and Battlestar, some Fairport Convention, and They Might Be Giants.

And on DVD? Well, just watched 'Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion', which apparently inspired a chap called Quentin to kill someone called Bill. Also rewatched the cancelled US series Wonderfalls, a clever updating of the Joan of Arc story. Oh, and some of the original Twilight Zone eps. Burgess Meredith, we hardly knew ye. Richard Matheson - he rocks, and no mistake.